ENABLED JEWELLERY DESIGNED FOR LOVEGOLD
AKQA
THE BEST ADVERTISING, ISN'T.
Since 1995, AKQA has strived to create objects of desire. Be they immersive interactive experiences, indispensable services or unforgettable stories, we always believed that capturing people's imagination, by creating things they want and love, was the most powerful way to communicate our clients' ambitions.
Founded by myself, Ajaz Ahmed, Dan Norris-Jones and Matthew Treagus, AKQA has grown into one of the worlds most awarded and respected design and technology studios. I creatively led the company for twenty years, architecting and orchestrating a creative discipline that remains the envy of the industry.
The four values we began with continue to guide the international studio today: innovation, service, quality and thought. These intrinsic ingredients are visible inside every project and activity AKQA undertakes, and their unwavering adherence has led us to work with the most inspiring brands on the planet.
My team and I created truly pioneering work, designing and building world-firsts by blending new technologies with human understanding to transform the moments and lives for millions of people. Our interdisciplinary approach across service, experience and product design allowed us to conceive and realise cohesive, responsive, accessible experiences in every environment.
From our first project in 1995 for Richard Branson demonstrating a vision for a Virgin internet ten years in the future, to 2015 where full-size digital basketball courts discovered new talent in China for Nike – I have had the opportunity to lead thousands of projects and have grown one of the most respected, award-winning creative studios on the planet.
I am often asked "Which project are you most proud of?" Looking back over my career at the enormous variety of work, I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunities I've had. But that reflection also brings with it a definitive answer to the question – the project I'm most proud of isn't a single, specific piece of work, it's AKQA as a whole. I see the company as an ongoing experiment, one that continues without me, and this is the aspect I am most proud of - that it endures.
“What is enduring about our story?", "What’s the most rebellious thing we can do?” These were our guiding principals that charted our path and directed nearly every decision - from who to hire, to how to lead them, and then how to create a platform so they can produce the best work of their lives.
My role, as I saw it, centred on three core tasks: inspire our clients, inspire our teams, hire the next generation of talent. This, combined with my fervent beliefs that leadership is to lead by example, is to want the best for people, and is to be a mentor not a meddler. was the scaffold I built our team around.
Never interested in being 'the smartest guy in the room', I placed great importance on bringing in people from as diverse backgrounds as possible, people with unquestionable talent and ambition who would become leaders in their own right. The key, I found, was to provide a clear, unambiguous vision and trajectory, then give people the autonomy to chart the path.
AKQA is a continual work-in-progress, evolving and adapting, enabling the team to look forward and invent beautiful and memorable work. AKQA has always been about the team, and it has been the honour of my life to have created alongside them and witness all they have achieved together.
“For twenty years, James has stood out as the consummate creative leader in advertising, design and technology. And despite his impressive career, James remains an inspirationally open and thoughtful human being.
Famed as an outstanding and innovative craftsman, he is humble and honest, and has set the bar for excellence in our fiercely competitive industry.”
CLAIRE BEALE
INTERNATIONAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, CAMPAIGN MAGAZINE
